Romeo and Juliet
Romeo y Julieta is also a brand of Cuban cigars.
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2 Adaptations 3 External links |
Warning: Plot details follow.
Romeo and Juliet is the story of Romeo, a Montague, and Juliet, a Capulet, two children of warring families in Verona, Italy, who fall in love despite the rivalries of their relatives. The two defy their parents and marry. Friar Lawrence performs the ceremony, hoping to bring the two families to peace with each other. However, a series of tragic events follow and Romeo is forced to flee after killing Juliet's cousin Tybalt and being exiled by the Prince of Verona. Juliet is extremely grieved when she hears this, and when her father tries to force her to marry Paris, a rich young nobleman, she is almost despairing. Friar Lawrence has an idea, and gives her a potion which will put her in a death-like coma for two days. She is to take it before her marriage day, and when she is buried in the family crypt Romeo can rejoin her and they can go to Mantua until things cool down. Juliet takes the potion, and falls into a deep sleep. Unfortunately, the Friar's messenger to Romeo telling him of the plan is late, and Romeo hears only of Juliet's "death". He buys some strong poison and proceeds to the crypt, and after seeing Juliet one last time kills himself. Minutes later Juliet awakens and seeing Romeo dead stabs herself fatally too. The two families meet at the tomb and Friar Lawrence tells them of the love and secret marriage of Romeo and Juliet. The feud ends, but alas, the lovers are dead.
The play, along with many others by Shakespeare, is almost entirely written in iambic pentameter.
This is an early play by William Shakespeare and while it is often classified as a tragedy it does not bear the hallmarks of the 'great tragedies' like Hamlet and Macbeth. Some may consider Romeo and Juliet to not be flawed individuals, indeed much of their misfortune comes from the actions of others or from accident. However, others consider their rashness and youth to be their tragic flaws.
It has been noted that the plot of Romeo and Juliet is more that of a farce or comedy of errors than a tragedy, except that it lacks the vital last-minute save and everyone dies at the end instead of living happily ever after. However it can also be argued that not all is woe at the end, for a long-running feud is ended, although at the price of the two lovers; thus no doubt preventing future deaths.
The story was converted into the opera Romeo et Juliette by Charles François Gounod in 1867 with a libretto written by Jules Barbier and Michel Carrè.
It was also the subject of Vincenzo Bellini's opera I Capuletti ed i Montecchi.
Several ballet adaptations of the story have been made, the first recorded in the 18th century. The best known feature music by Sergei Prokofiev, and a variety of choreographers have used this music. The first version featuring Prokofiev's music was performed in 1938.
The musical West Side Story, also made into a film, is based on Romeo and Juliet but updates the story to mid-20th century New York City and the warring families to ethnic gangs.
There have been over forty movie versions of the tale, with the first in 1900. Some of the more notable adaptations include:
;1936 - Romeo and Juliet, produced by Irving Thalberg
Story
Adaptations
Opera
Ballet
Musical
Movie versions
;1968 - Romeo and Juliet, directed by Franco Zeffirelli
;1996 - Romeo + Juliet, directed by Baz Luhrmann
External links